Predjama Castle, Game of Thrones, Waterwheel Mill - Slovenia

We don’t hear what someone said:

We imagine what they meant.

Byron Katie

Predjama Castle (aka In Front of a Cave Castle)
Last day in Slovenia

Predjama Castle

The over 800 year old Predjama Castle is listed in the Guinness Book of Records because it’s one of the largest best-preserved cave castles in the world.  Castles don't come much more strategically placed than at the mouth of a large 8.7 miles (14k) cave system. The Predjama Castle is such a spectacular fortress embedded in a limestone landscape. 

The Predjama Castle owes its name (meaning literally ‘In Front of the Cave’) to its obvious position.  It stands at the entrance of a cave halfway up a 416 feet (127m) vertical cliff and is one of very few surviving cave castles in the Alpine foothills. 

Because the castle is hard to find and its access is difficult, it offered all the security that was necessary, which in those days was the most important thing.  Its building was definitely not dictated by comfort or luxury.  Damp, cold and draughts were part of everyday life in the castle.  The small, unglazed windows let little light into the interior, but all of this was balanced out by the protection offered by the cliff behind the castle and by the cave.  It was an impregnable medieval stronghold.

Castle Predjama was first recorded in 1274 but was probably built in the prior century.  There is no doubt that some elements are from the 12^th century, although parts of the castle may be even older.  The castle was nearly destroyed during a massive earthquake in 1511 and was given its present appearance in 1583 when the entrance tower was added, enlarging the castle to its current dimensions.  In recent centuries the castle was mainly used during warmer times of the year.  Its last owners, used it as a hunting lodge, as can be seen from the numerous hunting trophies that still adorn the walls of its rooms today. 

A visit of the castle is designed to be a walk through a medieval day.  The modest gear and decorations typical of that era should help conjure up the humble way of life of an age different from today’s.

The entire castle is a mixture of a natural rock wall and constructed exterior ones.  The rock wall is continuously moist and covered by moss and algae that give it a special color.  It guaranteed the castle’s security by preventing an attack from the rear and at the same time provided clean drinking water through channels chiseled into the cave walls behind the castle as well as hidden access to supplies via the cave system.

Walking through four levels via steep and narrow stairways, get a view of a kitchen, two dining rooms, a heated bedroom (the only one with wood paneling walls and ceiling instead of stone), a knight’s chamber, a chapel, an armory, a stable, a torture chamber, and more.

Robber baron Erazem (remember him, as Erasmus, from the Ljubljana Castle in previous post?), one of the owners of the castle was killed while on the 'throne' (aka toilet in this case).  That unfounded story inspired Game of Thrones’ death of ruthless patriarch Lord Tywin Lannister.  The author, RR Martin, visited the castle in June 2011. Erazem, a type of Robin Hood of the days, had resisted a siege here for more than a year, surviving on food delivered via a secret tunnel through the cave system behind and under the castle but was eventually betrayed by one of his angry servants. 

Predjama is an important archaeological site.  The oldest historical period of the castle left stone and bone tools behind, while the more recent periods left ceramics, jewelry, and numerous coins, now in various museums. The oldest finds from this passage date from the Neolithic period, while traces were also left by the Bronze Age and the Roman Era.  Nineteenth century excavations unearthed the tips of crossbow bolts, charred and half-decayed pine beams and part of a cannonball.  A fireplace was also discovered at this time, and can still be seen today.

Perhaps the most attractive and interesting find came to light during the renovation of the castle in 1991, when a treasure trove of gilded silver dishes were discovered in the floor of the castle cellar.  Like all treasures, it raises questions.  Was it hastily concealed in its underground hiding place because danger was approaching?  Why did it remain hidden and forgotten for so long?  Who did it actually belong to? 

The modern entrance to the castle is now via a drawbridge, however the original way was via a ladder to doorways two floors up. What it would’ve been like to live here in the days…

Hard to locate, one can only see it at the last minute
After turning the corner at the end of a valley

Red flowers at each window
See how truly vertical the cliff the castle is built up against is

Castle's torture chamber
Prisoners usually stretched over wooden 'horse' between their legs

Looking up to cliff overhang protecting part of the castle

Walls six feet (2m) thick!

Cobenzl Family Coat of Arms found above entrance door, inside castle 
Family used the castle from 1567 to 1810, longest reign here

Faint Cobenzl Family Coat of Arms painted on the outside of castle
A bit different than the one chiseled in stone

View of the valley from the castle's height
The small white dots against the lawn are goats

Modrijan Mill with only three of the original six waterwheels left

Modrijan Homestead – Lower Waterwheel Mill

The waterwheels of the Modrijan (Lower) Mill have been going round and round for five centuries transforming wheat into flour thanks to the Pivka River.  Mills on that river were mentioned for the first time in a land registry in 1498 and were also used for cutting wood.

The year 1593 and the initials W. H., belonging to the mill's owner, Wolfgang Huber, are carved in the stone door frame of the mill.  Left of that doorway is a horizontal line indicating the height of the worst ever recorded flood in Postojna on Sept 19^th, 2010.  It is nearly leveled with the top of the stone portal at the entrance to the mill.

According to history, there were six waterwheels at the watermill and the Venetian sawmill at this portion of the Pivka River, which was dammed and channeled onto the waterwheels through seven troughs.  Most of the watermills in the area were driven by paddle wheels that were 8 feet (2.5m) in diameter.  Waterwheels were exposed to all sorts of weather conditions and thus had to be regularly maintained and renovated.  Today, only three waterwheels remain after the 2010 flood. 

Millers always had a special status in the society and were, owing to their occupation, highly respected.  In times of low water, the miller always had to first do the grinding for other people bringing grain to the mill before doing it for himself.

Gathering seeds to be used as nutrition for people is older than the cultivation of land, milling itself dates back much further than growing cereal crops.  Miller’s trade is one of the oldest activities the human race has been involved in. 

At its peak, there were approximately 50 mills in the Pivka River Basin.  In the early 20^th century as many as 38 were still operating, of which eleven were on the Pivka River.

In the beginning, mills were merely trade workshops and did not provide any room for living in.  The millers were responsible for making sure the sanitation was kept in order (i.e. that there were no rodents) and that the milling machine was in perfect technical order. 

Grinding of the grain was by all means a task to be done by the master, however as there was a lot of work during the high season, he was usually aided by all family members and most often also by hired assistants.  It is interesting to know that in the past watermill assistants received payment in kind, whereas sawmill assistants were paid in money. 

That's how high the water from the 2010 flood was

Inside the Modrijan Mill

Since people had to wait at the mill to get flour, a large number of people came together, whereby all sorts of different parlor games were invented and news and gossips were shared among people. 

The last miller who gave the mill and the homestead in front of the Postojna Cave its present-day name, was Franc Modrijan. As the tenant of the watermill and the sawmill, Modrijan purchased the facility and made sure the mill and the sawmill were in operation up until the year 1972, when the great waters washed away the back two mill wheels.  After his death in 1974, his heirs sold the mill and the homestead to the Postojna Cave company.  

The End of my Slovenia Trip

With few hours left in Slovenia, I am pleased I was able to visit this amazing country.  Thankfully for me, Slovenia is one of Europe's most overlooked, yet surprisingly delightful destinations, so I didn’t have to face too many tourists.  Many of the locals I spoke to, wondered where tourism will lead them, and how it will eventually change their way of life.  They are anxious, having seen how negatively tourism has affected other countries.  They are tentatively embracing this new chapter, hoping to direct its inevitable impact in a more positive way.

It is with sadness and strings pulling at my heart that I leave behind a stunning country that offers so much, especially when accounting for its very small size.  Only two million people live here, as much as in New Mexico, and in land surface, it places between the sizes of Connecticut and New Jersey.  I could easily imagine living here. 

Nevertheless, in that small of a space, you can find eerie or majestic caves, an open-air lapidary museum, unique haystacks, winged dragons, ancient vineyards, an underground hotel, Lipizzaner horses in the oldest European breeding farm, castles at the opening of a cave or on top of hills, the third oldest pharmacy, Kurent Carnival, Roman Mounds, learn of a famous elephant visit or Mithraism, all in a fabulous Karst landscape interwoven with brilliantly colored rivers. 

As for its cuisine some people say it resembles the food of Tuscany but more affordable. It is very fresh and much of it is locally grown or picked in the wild.  A majority of the ingredients come from within a 30-mile radius of many restaurants. Slovene specialties include pumpkin seed oil, extra virgin olive oil, honey, cheeses, prosciutto, cured meats, ham, and Carniolan sausage. They value homegrown flavors amidst rustic cultural values.

I had the luck of partaking in a dinner at its three star Michelin Restaurant Hiša Franko, and it was absolutely delicious.  Led by self-taught Chef Ana Roš, one of the ten Best Female Chefs in the world (the likes of Julia Child or Alice Waters at Chez Panisse), Leisure Magazine called her restaurant one of the top thirty in the world. Roš set out to highlight the uniqueness of these flavors, and to create a destination where people could experience the flavors of the mountains.  She certainly succeeded. 

From the dramatic Julian Alps to the exciting Adriatic Sea, there is so much to experience.  The country is affected by three main weather types: sub-Mediterranean, temperate continental, and mountain (or highland) climate.

And if all of this wasn’t enough, Slovenia is one of the Greenest countries in the world. 

'Thanks to the variety of ecological and climatic conditions, Slovenia is classified as a biodiversity hotspot. Whilst covering less than 0.004% of the planet’s surface, it accommodates around 1% of the world’s biodiversity, including more than 2% of all terrestrial species. Slovenia has the highest concentration of animal and plant species per square kilometer in the world. 

Additionally, many of the species present in Slovenia are endemic to this country. There are 3,119 endemic plant species, there are 18 native animals such as the Carniolan honey bee, the Lipizzaner horse, and the olm, an aquatic amphibian nicknamed ‘the baby dragon’, found in caves. Slovenia is also home to three out of five species of large carnivores found in Europe: the brown bear, the grey wolf, and the Eurasian lynx. Slovenia’s population of brown bears (now at around 500 in total) has been crucial for the reintroduction of this animal throughout the entire continent.

The main reason for the presence of these large carnivores is Slovenia’s extensive forest cover. Some of the latest statistics show that approximately 61% of the country is covered in forest which makes Slovenia the third-most-forested country in Europe (after Finland and Sweden). Even urban areas are incredibly green. Ljubljana was awarded Europe’s Greenest Capital in 2016 and the Tree City of the World in 2020.

Slovenia is considered the most passionate beekeeping country in the European Union, as there are more than 90,000 beekeepers, almost five per 1,000 people.  Furthermore, vineyards are so popular that there is one for every 70 people.

Slovenia is the first country in the world to have been, in its entirety, declared a Green Destination of the World.' 

From: www.earth.org

With all it has going for it, it’s hard to believe that Slovenia continues to glide beneath most tourists’ radar.  Undoubtedly, however, the word will go out.

Goodbye Slovenia and onward to Croatia via Muggia, Italy.  

To great memories of the beauty of Slovenia.  Thank you.

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